Sadness, loneliness and pain
by wulfenheim
Summary: Ichigo, son of Mephistopheles and bearer of the power of Zarathos. Watch his life as it crumbles, rebuilds and destroys. Bleach Canon wont start until a few chapters more or so. Not Godlike Ichigo


AN: A lot of things are being 'changed' in this fanfic. Starting with the fact that Ichigo is an orphan and Isshin isn't his father. This probably wont make sense in the earlier chapters, so just keep reading and you'll probably see why this was labeled as a _ROMANCE _ Canon wont start until the further chapters into the story or just when I feel like it. Mephisto OOC. NOT god-like fic, but very strong Ichigo in later chapters.

Warning: Except for the earlier stuff, like the prologue, story progression will be quite slow. I'll be going by with most reviews that appear in my fanfics: "Take it slow

The Rider:

Prologue:

A life alon in the streets is not a life children are meant to have. Begging, stealing, scavenging and sometimes, just sometimes, killing. Kurosaki Ichigo, was one such child. Growing up without a home, without people to care for him, he was forced to endure what no child was meant to endure. But instead of dying, like most children who experiences what he did, Ichigo became strong. At 8 years old, Ichigo was forced to do something that would haunt his dreams for a very long time. He was forced to kill a child, who lived the same life as he did.

TIMESKIP: 7 years later: Ichigo is age 16: London

We now see Ichigo in an alley somwhere in Japan. He sat against the brick wall just beside a crudely made fire by his right, just enought to keep himself warm. Beside him was his loyal companion, a wolf cub that he found when he was randomly walking through the woods during winter in the past year.

Ichigo now found himself contemplating on what to do with his life. All he did all his life was trying to survive, then he asked himself: "Why do I want to survive in the first place?". The question bugged him to no end. He wouldn't find an answer, but he still wanted to survive and then he'd end up asking himself the same question.

He now found himself without a purpose. He even considered suicide when he was still young, but ultimately decided against it. Why? he didn't know. Each time he'd consider death, something would always stop him. Wether it was his loyal companion, Dayne, or the deep and ominous voice he'd always hear in his head telling him: "Don't do it".

At a young age, Ichigo had been forced to learn the basics of life, that and a lot of educational books he stole from the local library, he also learned to keep his senses sharper than the knife he always carried around, and right now, he could hear footsteps approaching him from the right, which happened to be the entrance to the alley he was currently in. Ichigo gripped the broken glass bottle just beside his right hand, he was always ready for anything.

"How filthy! You're trying to sleep in such a filthy place? I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to only have a dog as a companion and have no purpose in life" The deep and ominous voice belonged to an old man who wore a black trenchcoat with leather boots and gloves. "I can offer you a purpose. A way out, so to speak"

Ichigo stood up and faced the man who said those things, not that he was hurt or anything.

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms together as if saying: "Try something and I'll rip your arms from their sockets and shove both of them up you throat".

"I've come to offer you a contract" The man said, using his right hand to take out a scroll from the pocket inside his trenchcoat. The scrolls in his right hand seemed very old, the paper was almost yellow and had cracks along the side. "I know the kind of life you've lived, Kurosaki Ichigo, and I said I was going to offer you and your pet a way out of this missery you confine yourself in"

"What can an old man and an old looking, yet kinda looks cool with the skull designs, scroll do to my situation?" Ichigo said, unamused by the offer this oldman was giving him.

"Ahh, that's where you're wrong, Kurosaki Ichigo. Just sign this contract and find out for yourself what happens in the morning" The oldman said, still keeping his rather elegant composture and creepy voice. "You never know unless you try, and besides, if you think this contract is a scam, then think. What would i gain from scamming someone like yourself besides a few books about Math, literature, world history and Physics? Nothing"

Ichigo took a second to weigh his chances. Signing the contract and not getting anything after doing it wouldn't even affect him in the slightest, yet not signing the contract and miss out on a chance to escape this hellhole would greatly affect him. So, he made his decision.

"Fine, I accept your deal" Ichigo accepted and took the contract...

Chapter 1: A Dark Legend

People say that legends are just folklore, or people simply wish to believe in something that doesn't exist. Others believe that legends are from truth. Whatever side is right, there is one thing for sure. It's that some legends...are true.

In the deep corridors of hell, there sat figure with fiery orange hair. Beside him was a fiery red wolf.

The figure crossed his fingers together, as if waiting for something to happen, the suddenly, in front of him, a figure burst through the door.

The creature seemed very strange looking. It's skin was blue, with grey stripes going all over it, on top if its head was a crimson crest.

"Your highness, your father is most anxious to meet you" The demon said with a bow, lowering its face all the way to the ground.

"Tell my father I shall be arriving shortly" The figure said, petting the fiery red wolf just to the right of his throne which was made of charred wood and brimstone.

"Of course, your highness" The demon stood up, walked outside and closed the gates form the outside.

MAIN CHARACTER POV:

Just a month ago my name was Kurosaki Ichigo, now it is Falbium Asmodeus Ichigo, son of Mephistopheles.

Apparently the old man hadn't lied when he told me he'd give me and Dayne a way out of the missery. But I never expected him to adopt me and crown me as the new prince of hell. Sure, being prince was nice and not to mention, luxurious.

My father, Mephisto, gave me the powers of some powerful demon named Zarathos. Apparently, this power allows me to transform into a burning bonehead who controls hellfire and can transform objects to give them a 'hellish' design. But since I am the son of the King of Hell, he, of course, gave me full control over the flames of hell or hellfire for short.

Hell isn't all that bad if you get used to the heat and all the fire. It's actually quite a nice place, and I've learned quite a lot about the common misuderstanding humans have, including myself when I was alive, on hell.

My father, Mephisto, is but a simple warden of a very large prison. I just like to think of the demons as guards. My father told me, that when I was old enough I would be given the power to command an entire legion of demons. But right now, the demons who were under my command was the Kushanada, the razor demons and some Behemoths, not that I needed any of them since my powers were quite strong.

Father would occasionaly send me on missions to earth, most of it were just simple 'tag n bag' missions. But others were quite complicated. One day, I'm not really sure if there's a night time or day time in Hell since everything's on fire, father told me to kill his treacherous bastard son, Blackheart. I was reluctant at first, I mean Blackheart and I were practically family, but then I understood the danger he posed to humanity. Father, himself, was sad that he had to kill his own son, bastard or not, Blackheart was still his son.

Father never actually told me why he chose me to become prince. Perhaps it was because of the hard life I lives, or perhaps I had the potential to become someone great. I don't know, he never told me, but I didn't bother to ask why. I mean, why would I look a pet horse in the mouth?

My faithful companion, Dayne, was given powers of his own as well. When i give the command, Dayne is capable of transforming into a Cerberus. Dayne was the only true friend I had in this realm of fire and brimstone, except for my father since I consider him family.

Most of the time, I'd just spend my days in my room and listen to music or watch TV. But I get bored sometimes and go out to the world of the living. Normally, demons are not allowed to wander thr realm of Earth, just as angels are also forbidden. But a perk comes with being half human. This fact alone created a loophole for me to exploit over and over again.

Japan hadn't changed much, well considering the fact that I spent 10 years in Hell and I was only gone from the human world for 10 hours. I'd normally just spend a few hours on Earth before I went back to good ol home.

Yes, as disturbing as it sounds, hell is my home. Hell is where my sisters, yes I have sisters, and my father stay. Hell, for me, is where my happiness is.

NARRATOR POV:

Ichigo got off his chair, signalled Dayne to follow him and went out of his throne room. He walked along the great corridors of hell until he reached the massive burning gates which lead to his father's throneroom. One of the guards standing by the gate instantly noticed him and opened the gates for him. Another perk with being a prince, people opened the doors for you.

Inside was his father, who was sitting on his throne, and beside him were Ichigo's sisters, sort of. Ichigo walked towards his throne and stopped just 5 meters away from the brimstone stairs which lead to the fiery throne of Mephisto.

"Father" Ichigo said, raising his right hand to his chist and doing a very small bow, almost just a small nod. "You summoned me"

"Yes indeed my son" Mephisto said. "It is time for you to go out to the world of the living, and find yourself"

Ichigo looked confused, but instead of asking what his father meant, he just decided to let Mephisto continue talking.

"My son, Hell can't be ruled by another. That's what Blackheart failed to understand" Mephisto said, Ichigo wasn't confused anymore, but he still had no idea why he had to go to earth. "Even if I wanted to give my Kingdom to you, which I do, I can't. I was chosen to be the warden, and nobody else may carry this responsibility. So my son, your task is to forge your own empire or simply live in peace. Find a woman, settle down and have a family. Your choice is yours to make. But do not forget the demons you have control over, for you still do. Now go, my son, forge your own path to greatness. For the potential I saw in you would be wasted if you were to spend the rest of your life here. The powers I have given you are more than enough for you to deal with any threat that comes your way, and Maligos will just give large amount of this...money...before you leave your home. Goodbye my son, I hope the next time we meet you will already have your own kingdom"

"Father, know this, I will become powerful. More powerful than I am now, and when I return, I shall be wearing my own crown" Ichigo said, taking off the skeletal crown which was resting on top of his head and setting it down on the table beside him. "Goodbye father"

ICHIGO'S ROOM:

"Well old buddy, it's time for us to leave this place" Ichigo said. The door of his room suddenly opened and Maligos, the loyal assistant of Mephisto, entered carrying 2 large bags.

"Your highness, lord Mephisto has instructed my to give these to you for your journey" Maligos said, his face stoic as ever. "I shall now open the portal to the human world. Are your ready your highness?"

Ichigo nodded, and just like that, He and Dayne were sucked into the portal.

SPACE BRIDGE:

Ichigo was now flaoting through an endless cascade of colors and fluxes. This was the space bridge, every person passed through here when they teleport to another realm entirely.

Ichigo's current destination was Denmark, where he met this beautiful girl whom he wanted to meet again. Without warning, the space influx suddenly expanded, changing the course to Japan. Ichigo noticed this of course, but he couldn't do anything since the space bridge was beyond anyone's power. Even his father admitted to this.

'Great' Ichigo thought with a frown as he neared the edge of the space bridge and prepared to enter the slipspace portal. 'Just when I really wanted to see her. Damn space bridge ruing everything'

FRANCE: 1346

In Paris, people weren't supersticious or ignorant enough to believe that a demon prince had just entered their city, which was kind of a bonus for Ichigo since he didn't want Clerics and Purifiers running after him again.

Ichigo walked through the streets of Paris, carrying both of his large bags with him. Demonic magic is, most of the time, more useful than heavenly magic. Why? His bag that was filled with money has cash that would instantly change to whatever was of the highest value during the specific time period or, simply, the current area he was in.

Now Ichigo was wndering around Paris, with no direction whatsoever. he didn't know where he was or where he wanted to go for that matter. Denmark was obviously very far away, and this where the downsides of being only half demon comes in. Normally, teleporting to Denmark would be quite easy for full demons, even the weak ones, but Ichigo, however, is only capable of teleporting, or just simply speed bursting, through short distances. Now he was stuck here in Paris for the time being, but maybe this wasn't gonna be so bad after all?

Ichigo was silently talking to himself when he suddenly heard a female scream. Ichigo was quick to react to find the source of the sound.

There, in the middle of a dark alley, was a woman who was about to be raped by 4 thugs. Her face was shadowed, but Ichigo's demonic vision allowed him to clearly see the woman's features. Her skin was a caramel tan, rare for the french people and she had neck-length sunkissed blonde hair, but her face was bloody, probably from being beaten by the thugs.

Ichigo wasted no time in disposing of the thugs. The man who was on top of the girl, and was about to rape her, was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and thrown headfirst into a brickwall. One of them tried to stab Ichigo from behind, but he wasn't fast enough as Ichigo backhanded the man's wrist, causing the bone to literaly break apart. The man tried to scream but was unable to do so as his face was met with a right straight from Ichigo. One man tried to jump him from behind, but received a punch to the face whilst he was mid-air, the man's lower jaw was pretty much dislocated from his skull. The last person, who seemed to be the youngest of the thugs, was simply thrown headfirst unto the ground, rendering him unconscious.

Ichigo turned his attention to the woman who was alive, but barely. She had bruises all over her body, her right knee was sprained and she had a lot of cuts on her face. Ichigo really wanted to make those thugs suffer the eternal flames, but there were rules to follow and one of those rules prohibits demons, including half demons, from killing humans unless those humans were demon hunters.

He couldn't kill the thugs, but he could still help the poor girl. Ichigo, realising there was no other option in helping the girl, inhaled deeply, knelt beside her and began to use his demonic healing powers, which were normally used under contract but Ichigo's too heroic for that, to heal the girl. The healing powers did not take long before it finally took effect, her bruises were beginning to disappear, the cuts on her face were getting tinier by the second and he could here her bones moving themselves back into place.

The toll of using his healing powers was quickly affecting Ichigo, and he could feel himself getting weaker every second, until he finally succumb to the effects.

'Well...shit' Ichigo thought before falling down, unconscious.

THE NEXT DAY:

'Something smells really good' Ichigo thought as he slowly opened his eyes. 'And something feels soft too'

It wasn't long before he finally realised that he was apparently lying on a soft bed, facing a wooden ceiling. The source of the very pleasant smell came from the kitchen, so the obvious answer was that the source of this smell was non-other than food, still being cooked.

'Where am I?' Ichigo asked himself before getting up. That was when he realised that he was only wearing his pants, and beside him were several wet towels and a bowl filled with water. 'A demon having a fever? How ironic...but not impossible, considering I'm only half a demon and I still haven't masterred even half of my powers'

Ichigo fully stood up, he flexed his muscles for a few seconds before allowing them to relax. he went over to the room, which was obviously the kitchen, hoping to find the woman he'd rescued. Only to find a child who was standing on a long chair, cooking the meal.

"Need help?" Ichigo asked bluntly, causing the little girl to fall down the high chair in shock. Ichigo, using his enhanced speed and reflexes, moved quickly to catch her before she fell flat on the floor. "Be careful"

The girl, who was probably at the age of 7, only looked at him for a few seconds before saying.

"Oh you're awake! My sister is still asleep after taking care of you. You were asleep for 2 days, so she's quite tired right now" The girl said bluntly before jumping off of Ichigo and climbed back unto the highchair and continued cooking. Ichigo just shrugged and went back into the room and decided to look for his clothes, but something quickly passed through his mind.

'So her older sister has been taking care of my unconscious body for 2 days huh? I owe her my thanks' Ichigo thought with a smile on his face as he continued to the scan the room for his clothes, before finally concluding that, wherever his clothes were, they weren't in the room. Ichigo, deciding the ask the little girl where his clothes were, went back to the kitchen. But before he could say anything, the little girl beat him to it.

"Your clothes were full of blood and are currently still being dried out in the sun" The girl said, not turning to Ichigo during the whole sentence. "The reason it's still being dried after 3 days is because it's been quite rainy here in the countryside"

Ichigo blinked, and blinked again. 'Was this girl psychic or something?' He thought.

Suddenly, his enhanced senses heard someone yawn from the second floor of the house.

'Must be her sister' He thought.

After a full 5 minutes, Ichigo could now hear footsteps descending the stairs. Ichigo made a dash towards the stairway, hoping to greet the girl who'd been taking care of him for 3 days. But he could utter no words when he saw her beauty.

Ichigo was, quite literaly, stunned. His mouth was open, he could utter no words as if his throat was extremely dry and he couldn't move even a single muscle, limb or anything for that matter. He was simply rooted to the floor.

'Is she an angel sent by God to save me from the darkness that is myself? or is she just a normal girl with normal problems and I'm just ranting random stupid things in my head?' Ichigo thought. He would've said that out loud but he was currently unable to move his mouth, along with his other body parts.

"Oh good, you're awake" The girl said, her face showed relief and happiness at the same time. but it was quickly replaced by worry when she noticed Ichigo wasn't moving, at all. "Are you alright?"

'Move! Say something you idiot!' Ichigo thought with a sweatdrop as he managed to muster every ounce of energy he had stored within his mind just to find enough willpower to be able to talk to the angel in front of him. "I-I'm...O-Okay...n-now"

"Are you sure you're alright?" The girl asked, and did soemthing that would've caused Ichigo to drop unconscious to the floor. She held out her hand and placed it on Ichigo's forehead, then his cheeks. The whole process only made things worse for the poor half demon prince. "Oh it seems your fever is gone now, but why can't you talk?"

'Alright! Enough is enough! I can talk to this angel! I AM A MAN!' Ichigo mentally screamed as he willed himself to speak, until he finally was able to pull his breaking self together into one piece. "I'm okay, just a little dizzy. I'm Falbium, by the way, Falbium Asmodeous Ichigo, but you may call me Falbium. May I have the privilage of knowing your name m'lady?"

"My name's Tia Harribel, but you can call me Tia" The girl said, extending her right hand to Ichigo's right hand. Ichigo slowly touched her hand and kissed it. Tia blushed a little, since every man she met immediately tried to get in bed with her or just attempt to rape her. But Ichigo was a gentleman, more like gentledemon, but that's not the point.

"Thank you for taking care of me Ms. Tia. I owe you a debt" Ichigo said as he lowered Tia's hand. "A debt that wont easily be repayed...why did you help me?"

"Well...I woke up and found you unconscious next to me. It didn't take a genius to figure out that you were the one who saved me" Tia answered. "You're fine now right?"

"Of course!" Ichigo was originally going to say soemthing after that, but then his stomach growled causing an awkward silence and then some giggles from Tia.

"Let's get some breakfast. Claire's just finished cooking!" Tia said, dragging Ichigo to the kitchen by one hand.

TABLE:

"So umm...did the two of you always live here?" Ichigo asked, trying to cure the silence while they were eating.

"Well, Claire has been with me since our parents died from sickness. I've been taking care of her since then" Tia answered, a hint of sadness was laced in her voice.

"Soooo...What do you do to earn money?" Ichigo asked, wanting to change the sensitive topic after he saw Tia's reaction to his question.

"While Claire's here at home cooking or taking care of the house, I'm usually working at the local market, selling the vegetables we grow outside." Tia answered.

"If you have money problems, just tell me i will help you" Ichigo said.

"Thanks, but no. I want to be able to escape this shithole, with my sister by my side, on my own steam" Tia answered, and in that moment, Ichigo felt more respect for her more than any other human he knew, even more so than some demons.

"I could help with your farms. I work for a lot of hours straight without stopping to eat or rest" Ichigo said, then sensed that Tia was about to say something against it and he immediately finished what he was saying with. "It's the least I could do for the woman who took care of me for 3 days"

"(sigh) Fine" Tia said. "But don't expect me to be just standing around watching or supervising. I'm gonna be plowing those fields myself!"

"And I shall be there to help" Ichigo finished, his face showed a genuine smile. ' But I really wonder why you wish to work alone'

LATER THAT SAME DAY:

"You own this field!?" Ichigo asked, dumbfounded at the vast land in front of him. "Not that I'm complaining, but how did you acquire this land?"

"My father was a succesful farmer who owned his own lands" Tia answered. "I inherited the property after he died"

"Oh..." There was awkward silence before Ichigo spoke. "Well...I bet I can plant and harvest more than you can!"

"Challenge accepted!" Tia yelled and raised her fist high in the air, before the duo proceeded to get to work.

NARRATOR:

Ichigo's and Tia's little rivalry in working in the fields sparked something that had never been lit in Ichigo's soul before. They became friends, after Ichigo purposely let Tia win their little competition. Ichigo had grown so fond of Tia and Claire that he'd simply forgotten about his 'becoming a king' plan.

With Ichigo's help, Tia gained enough money to move out of Paris and move to Scotland, where she decided to live out the rest of her days with her sister, and Ichigo.

True, Ichigo and Tia's relationship started with a mere rivalry, wich blossomed to become a beautful friendship. But then that friendship underwent a drastic turn when Tia began having strange feelings for Ichigo, feelings she'd never had before. And in Ichigo's case, quite the same.

It was Claire who simply concluded that Ichigo and Tia were actually in love with each other.

But along came a spider, as it always does.

A deadly plague had spread throughout most of Northern Europe, killing people in their sleep. No fevers, no deformities and no sound. The plague was quiet as it was deadly. And it its always loved ones whom we loose, and Ichigo wasn't different.

Tia simply didn't awaken during the morning. Ichigo was devastated and almost went on a rampage, but then he realised that Tia's sister, Claire, was still alive. So he did the only thing he could do to prevent her from dying. He blessed her with inhuman regenerative abilities, something he had offered to give to Tia. But the girl was too concerned for her sister, knowing that Ichigo was only capable of blessing someone once.

"Claire, I know that you're gonna miss your sister" Ichigo said placing his hands on the sobbing girl's shoulder. "but we both have to stay strong for her"

At that very moment, Ichigo felt something that he hadn't felt in a very long time...

"Soul Reapers..."


End file.
